April is a rather special month for Gundam this year thanks to a new series premiere, previous series anniversaries, and the start of Expo 2025 in Osaka to which the “Moving Gundam” in Yokohama gets an upgrade, albeit losing the whole moving feature in the process.
The box art for the 1/144 RX-78F00/E Gundam [EX-001 G.L.R.S.S. Feather Unit] was already revealed a couple of months ago, and serves as a reminder that this is going to be available at Gundam Next Pavilion within Expo 2025. And while they also sold the kit to a few online retailers, most pre-orders went out of stock. I am taking my luck with an Amazon pre-order for a more decent price though that copy would arrive around May.
Regardless, the base kit is the same as the one sold in Yokohama so the more interesting bit is with the G.L.R.S.S. Feather Unit and its abundance of clear parts. Given the delay until I get my pre-order, I should have enough time to check out reviews on how it would be built, though I am aware that the stabilizer-looking part would require painting to look good. Either way, I am looking forward to getting my copy, and add to the backlog of the Gundam Factory Yokohama exclusives.
1/144 RX-78F00/E Gundam [EX-001 G.L.R.S.S. Feather Unit]
April 11, 2025 / ¥3,600
Not counting all those expansion sets, the third AT kit from the HG Votoms lineup is the HG Scopedog Turbo Custom from the OVA Armored Trooper Votoms: The Last Red Shoulder. I’m not exactly the biggest Votoms expert so I belong to the crowd who can’t differentiate a Scopedog from a Burglarydog. So, here’s a quick comparison on how these three kits differ from each other.
With the Scopedog as the basic configuration, the Burglarydog adds trample riggers on the legs for movement on rough terrain, along with additional missile launchers. The Turbo Custom features the Jet Roller Dash System as evident with the rather minor differences on the legs, as well as weapons layout that aims to mirror those of the Red Shoulder units.
HG Scopedog Turbo Custom
April 11, 2025 / ¥3,800
Order from HobbyLink Japan
Lastly, for now, is one of the kits I decided to keep following a recent purge of pre-orders, the MODEROID Aestivalis 0G Battle Frame. While not piloted by series protagonist Akito Tenkawa, the pink color scheme of this kit is close enough for me to get one. I’m also still yet to get the MODEROID Black Sarena so keeping this pre-order would prevent me from tracking this in the aftermarket with either higher or discounted prices.
MODEROID Aestivalis 0G Battle Frame
April 2025 / ¥5,400
